Our holiday in Spain and Portugal started at the end of
February, not a perfect time for travelling and camping but with the
advantage that the tourist attractions were not overcrowded and we had some
places only for ourselves. In Germany was still winter with
freezing temperatures but in Spain was a nice spring with
ripe oranges and the trees in full bloom. We drove in two months 10.000 km
following a route on the east coast of Spain, the south coast, then
south and east coast of Portugal, after this we drove
through the centre of Spain via Salamanca, Toledo, Teruel and Lerida. The point of interest
were famous towns (Morella, Granada, Salamanca, Toledo, Ronda), Las Alpujaras
region and Sierra Nevada with the highest peak Mulhacen 3478m, the Atlantic
coast and the old villages in Portugal, the wilderness of Sierra de Gredos
and Sierra de Albarracin. We discovered other very interesting places which
were not in the travel guide but which were a highlight in our trip: the town
of Albarracin with the Neolithic paintings nearby,
the ruins of the Roman town of Ercavica and the carstic formations
in Sierra de Albarracin.

The resume of our trip follows:

1

MorellaCastle in Valencia

2

Unused windmill at Cabo de Gata in
Andalucia

3

Cabo de Gata at the Mediterranean Sea

4

Alhambra in Granada (Andalucia)

5

Climbing Mulhacen 3478 m involves a three
days trek starting from Trevelez at 1400 m and sleeping in Refugio de
Poqueiro at 2500 m. We made this climb at the beginning of March when the
mountains were still covered with a lot of snow and in the night the
temperature went below zero. On the first day the weather was overcast and
with strong winds which threatened to blow us away from the mountain but on
the day when we climbed to the top we were lucky with very calm weather and
clear sky. The view from the top was amazing and unforgettable; we could see
the Atlas
Mountains in Morocco more than 100 km distance
over the sea.

6

Michael on the mountain face

7

Diana on top of Mulhacen 3478 m. The
climb was not easy but was very rewarding. We had to find our way to the top
because there was no formed path. And the way was only up, up and very steep.
After 3000 m the air was very thin and breathing normal was difficult and the
heart tried to compensate for the low concentration of oxygen by beating
faster. All the effort was paid by the views offered on the top. On that day
we were alone on the mountain.

8

Michael on the way down to the Refugio
de Poqueiro. The heat from the sun transformed the mountain slope in ice
slide and we had to be careful where we stepped. One wrong step and this
would mean a 300 m slide to the valley.

9

Bobastro ruins – a 1000 years old
church carved out of stone

10

Ronda and the bridge Puente Nuevo

Altes village in Portugal

11

Handicrafts shop in Altes village (Portugal)

12

At Cabo de Sao Vicente with the view of
the wild Atlantic (Portugal)

13

Capela dos Osos (Chapel of Bones) in
Evora is a chapel made of human skeletons collected from old cemeteries from
16th century.